


fama est, fama volat

by for_darkness_shows_the_stars



Series: What Comes After [10]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: (it's toph's fault), Crack, Gen, Gift Fic, Gossip, LMAO aang and on ji upturned all the nobles' carefully constructed plans, and they have no idea, on ji learned how to swear, the footloose ep gets a part THREE
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:01:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27757330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/for_darkness_shows_the_stars/pseuds/for_darkness_shows_the_stars
Summary: Two different views on one matter.AKA, the Fire Nobles' reaction to the Avatar's plus one at the most prestigious event of the season being a commoner ... and the commoner in question's.
Relationships: Aang & On Ji (Avatar)
Series: What Comes After [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1981828
Comments: 13
Kudos: 101





	fama est, fama volat

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Black_Victor_Cachat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Black_Victor_Cachat/gifts).



> So, if any of y'all have studied Latin in high school, there's a chance that for you (like it had been for me), 'fama est' and 'fama volat' were the first two phrases you were forced to learn by heart. The meaning of the title would be 'rumour has it, rumour flies', which were apparently a proverbs in the Ancient Rome. 
> 
> Aaaanyway, this is a gift for my buddy Black_Victor_Cachat, who wondered what all the poor nobles were thinking during 'Once More Around the Sun', and I figured, 'hey, I can write that!'
> 
> Enjoy!

Politics, Oshaberi found, were of little interest in of itself. She left them to the scheming nobles and viper-headed courtiers. Let them crawl over hot coals and bathe in filth for a promotion. Why should she care?

Oshaberi did, however, care for the scuttlebutt that circulated among those scheming nobles and viper-headed courtiers, mostly because they fretted over the stupidest things, overreacted to _everything_. Who needed entertainment when you could just listen to nobles gossip all day long?

Prince Iroh runs the most popular teashop in Ba Sing Se?

Count Don’yoku has been hoarding erotic novels in the attic of his villa?

The Lady Mai became a bounty hunter in the Earth Kingdom after the Firelord broke up with her?

Marquise Yopparatta got high on the cactus juice imported from the Si Wong Desert and proclaimed her love for the Lady Michi in public, in front of _her_ wife and Michi’s husband? 

And an event such as the Firelord’s birthday ball? Why, that was a gold mine!

Oh, so the Lord Nai had gotten a bit tipsy and accused the most honourable Lady Minkusu of sleeping with her nephew?

King Kuei spoke to his just-bear like a human being? And got really offended when Elder Kutsuk of the Northern Water Tribe pointed that out?

The Firelord spent the evening dancing with the new Water Tribe Ambassador, and thus sent the entire court into fits?

Oh, His Majesty’s matrimonial prospects were an inexhaustive topic among the nobility. For the first time in centuries, there was no parent or elder to arrange a marriage, unless one counted Prince Iroh, who seemed supremely uninterested in anything of the sort.

Which basically meant that the choice of the future Firelady depended entirely on romanticizing the Firelord himself, rather than offering the best possible deal to his father. The situations this strange turn of events elicited have been Oshaberi’s food for soul over the past few months. She didn’t think she’d ever get tired of listening about how _yet another_ woman chose to parade herself in front of that boy in hopes of catching his eye.

So far, the only think they’ve gained from it was absolute mortification on the Firelord’s part, but that didn’t seem to discourage anyone.

Truly, the ball a few days ago was a _gold mine_. Three of the World’s most desirable bachelors in one place sent the nobles into a frenzy.

As one of the servers, she had the front seat-view of the men and the women desperately throwing themselves at the Firelord and the Earth King, resorting to more and more convoluted ways to achieve this.

The Avatar, however, was a surprise. Oshaberi fully expected the nobles to fret over the two monarchs, and yeah, middle-aged people throwing themselves at a seventeen year-old boy definitely _did_ make her feel uncomfortable, but the Avatar was _thirteen_.

She didn’t even pay all that much attention to him during the ball, mostly because she didn’t really think anyone could be crazy enough to think … _that way_ about a thirteen year-old, but apparently … not.

But in the aftermath, listening to the scuttlebutt circulating the Palace, she realized that … yes, people actually did think _that way_ about him.

Which— _ew_.

 _Ew, ew, ew_.

They say it’s never too early to start planning for the future, but … _ew_.

Still, Oshaberi wouldn’t be Oshaberi if she didn’t pay attention to all rumours, including those. And apparently … the young ladies and gentlemen who thought to make a bid on the Avatar have found themselves with a bit of a competition.

_A merchants’ daughter_ , the Lady Sunuto sneered, while Oshaberi was pouring tea for her and her handmaiden, _from the Outer Isles._ Oshaberi refrained from pointing out that the Avatar likely didn’t care for the girl’s standing if he really liked her, which seemed quite unlikely, since, _once again_ , the boy was _thirteen_ , and who the hell spent their entire life with the person they fell in love with at thirteen?

 _Plain and altogether quite unappealing_ , Viscountess Hanadji said, and Oshaberi did not indicate that the Avatar, as an Air Nomad, probably didn’t share the Fire Nation’s beauty standards.

 _All wildness and no grace_ , Lord Kohoto huffed, strolling in the public garden with his husband, _threw herself around, ‘dancing’_. Oshaberi rolled her eyes, but didn’t remind him that the Avatar was right there, ‘dancing’, with the girl.

Did the poor girl even know how often and with how much vitriol she was mentioned among the jagged walls of the Caldera?

* * *

On Ji returned home on the back of an air bison. She was welcomed by her parents, her brother, and his soon-to-be-wife. They’d been worried, she gathered from their tight hugs and harried whispers.

The Gujai village was located on one of the farthest islands in the Nation, closer to the shores of the Earth Kingdom than the Caldera. Up until now, the farthest On Ji’s ever been away from home was a week-long excursion to Ember Island last summer. She understood why her parents were worried, she really did, but she’s never had so much fun in her life. She tried to tell them as much, but none save her brother seemed inclined to listen.

“In the name of Agni’s glowing balls!” she shouted in the night, pacing back and forth in her brother’s room. “They act like I’m made of porcelain!”

“Ji-Ji!” Mongke exclaimed, sounding scandalized. “Where did you learn that?”

On Ji smirked. “Two words, Mon— _Toph Beifong_.”

Tomorrow, in school, Ms Kwan, the history teacher, watched her with stern eyes. “Tell me, Miss On Ji,” she began, interlacing her fingers together in front of her, “why weren’t you present at the school celebration three days ago?”

Under Ozai, _not_ appearing at such a holiday for no good reason would be considered an act of disrespect, dissent even. But she’d met Zuko, and he didn’t seem the type to enforce such a dumb law.

Not that that mattered to On Ji right now. “I attended a celebration in the Caldera, Ma’am,” she said.

The teacher curved a brow. It was one of her favourite expressions. Her stern expression relaxed just a fraction. For her, that was the equivalent of an Aang-bright grin. “I see. At Lord Mado’s? I know he’s a friend of your father’s.”

On Ji shook her head. “Lord Mado is celebrating with his husband’s family on one is the Inner Islands … it was actually … at the Palace?”

Ms Kwan blinked. It’s the most emotion (other than sarcasm) she’d seen the woman show … ever. “At … the Palace,” she repeated, like On Ji was slow.

On Ji debated for a moment, and then … yes, why not? “Remember Kuzon, Ma’am?”

Ms Kwan’s lip quirked imperceptibly up. “I do.”

“Well …” On Ji grinned sheepishly. “He’s the Avatar!”

Silence.

Then …

“He’s the _what_?”

It took her a while to realize that the shriek came from the stone-cold Ms Kwan.

On Ji just grinned again.

“… class dismissed. Don’t be late for the next class, and don’t die out there.” The whimper, On Ji would later realize, was the result of having told _the last Air Nomad_ that his peaceful, vegetarian people have been wiped out because of an army _they didn’t have_.

**Author's Note:**

> [Tumblr.](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/stars-and-darkness)


End file.
